A man arrested on suspicion of manslaughter following the death of ice hockey player Adam Johnson has been told he will not face any charges, British prosecutors said Tuesday.

Hibbing native Johnson played for the Nottingham Panthers and died shortly after his neck had been sliced in a collision with Sheffield Steelers defenseman Matt Petgrave during a game on Oct. 28, 2023.

A man was arrested two weeks later and though South Yorkshire Police did not publicly identify him, Petgrave himself said in a crowdfunding appeal for legal fees that he was the subject of a police investigation.

The Crown Prosecution Service announced it would not bring criminal charges against the man arrested following what it described as “a shocking and deeply upsetting incident.”

“Following a thorough police investigation and a comprehensive review of all the evidence by the CPS, we have concluded that there is not a realistic prospect of conviction for any criminal offense and so there will not be a prosecution,” Deputy Chief Crown Prosecutor Michael Quinn said.

During the game, Johnson had skated with the puck into Sheffield’s defensive zone when Petgrave collided with another Panthers player nearby. Petgrave’s left skate elevated as he began to fall and the blade hit Johnson in the neck.

Johnson was pronounced dead at a nearby hospital. The death of the 29-year-old former Pittsburgh Penguins player sparked debate across the sport about improving safety for players.

Petgrave, a 33-year-old Canadian, had support from some of Johnson’s teammates. Victor Björkung had told a Swedish newspaper there “isn’t a chance that it’s deliberate.”

NHL

Tocchet leaves Canucks coaching job

Rick Tocchet is not returning as coach of the Vancouver Canucks, the team announced, plunging them into another search and making him a top candidate for several vacancies around the NHL.

Tocchet’s departure comes after 2 1/2 seasons in Vancouver since replacing Bruce Boudreau in January 2023. He won the Jack Adams Award as coach of the year in 2024 for guiding the Canucks to a 50-win season and first place in the Pacific Division.

Tocchet did not have a contract moving forward and decided not to sign another with the Canucks.

Panthers’ Ekblad suspended 2 games

Florida defenseman Aaron Ekblad has been suspended for two games for elbowing Lightning forward Brandon Hagel in the head midway through Game 4 of the Panthers’ first-round series against Tampa Bay.

The NHL’s Department of Player Safety announced its ruling after a phone hearing with Ekblad. He will be out for Game 5 and either Game 6 of this series or the Panthers’ first game next round.

No penalty was called when Ekblad hit Hagel in the chin with his right elbow and forearm with just under nine minutes left in the second period on Monday night. Hagel left the ice and did not return, and Ekblad scored the first of two goals in 11 seconds late in the third to give the defending Stanley Cup champions a comeback victory and a 3-1 series lead.

Finnish Triple Gold Club member Filppula retires

Valtteri Filppula has decided to retire from hockey at age 41 after playing one final season at home in his native Finland.

Filppula is one of just 30 players — and the only Finn — in the Triple Gold Club for winning the Stanley Cup, Olympics and world championships.

He was a trusted, two-way forward for the Detroit Red Wings during their Cup run in 2008. Filppula captained Finland to its first Olympic hockey gold medal at the Beijing Games in 2022.

Filppula played 1,222 regular-season and playoff games in the NHL with Detroit, Tampa Bay, Philadelphia and the New York Islanders from 2005-21. He continued playing in Europe.

NBA

Spurs’ Castle wins rookie of the year

Stephon Castle made no secret about it: He wanted to be rookie of the year. And he got it done.

The San Antonio Spurs now have back-to-back winners of the award, with Victor Wembanyama last year and Castle this season. Castle was the fifth rookie in Spurs history to score more than 1,000 points.

It was one-sided in the voting. Castle got 92 first-place votes, easily topping runner-up Zaccharie Risacher of the Atlanta Hawks and third-place finisher Jaylen Wells of the Memphis Grizzlies. Risacher got five first-place votes, Wells got the other three.

MLB

Yankees repeat 3 straight homer opening

The New York Yankees became the first team in major league history to open a game with three consecutive home runs more than once in a season when Trent Grisham, Aaron Judge and Ben Rice went deep off Baltimore’s Kyle Gibson in the first inning.

New York started the bottom of the first of its March 29 game against Milwaukee with three homers in a row. In that game, Paul Goldschmidt, Cody Bellinger and Judge needed only three pitches to hit three homers.

On Tuesday night, the Yankees hit three of the game’s first five offerings out to right field.

BRIEFLY

MILB >> The Saints beat the Columbus Clippers in the first game of a doubleheader in Ohio, with four runs, two from Carson McCusker, one from Mike Ford, and one from Anthony Prato to answer the Clippers’ two. Saints starter David Festa allowed two runs, both earned, on three hits.

NBA >> Luka Doncic has stepped up to pay the entire expected cost of restoring a vandalized mural depicting Kobe and Gigi Bryant in downtown Los Angeles.

NFL >> Shedeur Sanders’ drop in the NFL draft led to record ratings for the final day, which averaged 4.3 million viewers on ESPN, ABC, NFL Network, ESPN Deportes and digital channels.

MLB >> With reliever A.J. Minter sidelined long term, the New York Mets re-signed fellow left-hander Brooks Raley to a one-year contract.

— From news services